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Home > Archive > Lasik Eyes Surgery > May 2005 > BCL advice
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| Graeme Hewson 2005-05-28, 8:55 am |
| I'm due to have LASEK surgery in six day's time and I have some
questions about bandage contact lenses. Naturally, I'll ask my surgeon
on the day, but it would be good to have the opinions of the experts
here too. I haven't worn contact lenses for many years, and those were
hard lenses.
Are BCLs generally wide enough to be held in place by the eyelid in its
normal position, or do they rely on surface tension? (I've seen mention
through Google of 14mm lenses.) The reason I ask is that the patient
information leaflets for my medication (FML and Exocin) say if I
accidentally put in too many drops I should wash the eye with water, and
I'm concerned this might dislodge the lens.
Also, how would I cope if I get grit underneath the lens (not that I'm
planning to do this...)? Would I even know, given the general
discomfort?
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| Glenn - USAEyes.org 2005-05-28, 11:51 am |
| The bandage contact lens (BCL) is exactly the same as most any other
contact lens, except for the purpose of its use. Commonly, a contact
lens is used to correct refractive error. A BCL is the lens being
used to protect the cornea while it heals.
If needed, flushing the eye with a preservative free solution is
appropriate. If something becomes lodged underneath, the BCL can be
removed, replaced, flushed with appropriate cleaners and rinses, etc.
The absorption of topical medications is only slightly affected by the
BCL, and normally not enough to be problematic.
Glenn Hagele
Executive Director
USAEyes.org
"Consider and Choose With Confidence"
Email to glenn dot hagele at usaeyes dot org
http://www.USAEyes.org
http://www.ComplicatedEyes.org
I am not a doctor.
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| Ragnar 2005-05-28, 5:53 pm |
| The bandange contact lens is just a typical soft lens impregnated with
some medication. You can take it out and clean it off if needed.
I won't even bring up the fact that you are going to have haze with
LasEk and that it's no better than PRK and you should probably just
have PRK done. What is your reason for not having LASIK done?
One other short comment. With Intralase, the flap can be made very
thin and precise. the problem there is... a thicker flap has much
better integrity. Doctors doing intralase seem to have a tendency to
make the flap thinner than optimum.. which results in a flap that is
not much better than having LASEK done instead of LASIK.
The outer cornea is not "static" - it changes. That is why a flap is
made of the outer cornea and only the static/unchanging layers of the
stroma are ablated in LASIK. That is also why PRK patients spend an
entire year before they find out what kind of vision they wound up
with. LASIK patients typically are very stable after just 3 months.
On 28 May 2005 12:11:42 GMT, ghewson@cix.co.REVERSE:ku (Graeme Hewson)
wrote:
>I'm due to have LASEK surgery in six day's time and I have some
>questions about bandage contact lenses. Naturally, I'll ask my surgeon
>on the day, but it would be good to have the opinions of the experts
>here too. I haven't worn contact lenses for many years, and those were
>hard lenses.
>
>Are BCLs generally wide enough to be held in place by the eyelid in its
>normal position, or do they rely on surface tension? (I've seen mention
>through Google of 14mm lenses.) The reason I ask is that the patient
>information leaflets for my medication (FML and Exocin) say if I
>accidentally put in too many drops I should wash the eye with water, and
>I'm concerned this might dislodge the lens.
>
>Also, how would I cope if I get grit underneath the lens (not that I'm
>planning to do this...)? Would I even know, given the general
>discomfort?
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| Ragnar 2005-05-28, 5:53 pm |
| I forgon one thing about BCLs.. the medication on them is
irritating.. feels like your eye is burning a bit.
On Sat, 28 May 2005 16:30:56 GMT, Glenn - USAEyes.org
<glenn.hageleSTOPSPAM@USAEyes.org> wrote:
>The bandage contact lens (BCL) is exactly the same as most any other
>contact lens, except for the purpose of its use. Commonly, a contact
>lens is used to correct refractive error. A BCL is the lens being
>used to protect the cornea while it heals.
>
>If needed, flushing the eye with a preservative free solution is
>appropriate. If something becomes lodged underneath, the BCL can be
>removed, replaced, flushed with appropriate cleaners and rinses, etc.
>
>The absorption of topical medications is only slightly affected by the
>BCL, and normally not enough to be problematic.
>
>Glenn Hagele
>Executive Director
>USAEyes.org
>
>"Consider and Choose With Confidence"
>
>Email to glenn dot hagele at usaeyes dot org
>
>http://www.USAEyes.org
>http://www.ComplicatedEyes.org
>
>I am not a doctor.
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| Graeme Hewson 2005-05-29, 8:54 am |
| Thanks. How much of a risk is removing the BCL, bearing in mind the
epithelium will be a bit mushy (technical term)?
| |
| Ragnar 2005-05-29, 11:50 am |
| The BCL is just a normal contact lens with some medication on it.
Why don't you ask your surgeon to do LASIK instead of LASEK so you can
forget about that BCL?
Typically, surgeons who do LASEK don't do it because it's better for a
particular patient, they do it for nearly all their patients because
they think it's better. Thankfully, the number of LASEK surgeons
around is extremely low, but then again... surgeons who make LASIK
flaps too thin with their intralase are essentially doing LASEK
On 29 May 2005 08:57:01 GMT, ghewson@cix.co.REVERSE:ku (Graeme Hewson)
wrote:
>Thanks. How much of a risk is removing the BCL, bearing in mind the
>epithelium will be a bit mushy (technical term)?
| |
| Glenn - USAEyes.org 2005-05-29, 11:50 am |
| Perhaps one of the optometrists here will respond, but my
understanding is that if properly removed, the epithelium (even if
distressed) will do fine.
Glenn Hagele
Executive Director
USAEyes.org
"Consider and Choose With Confidence"
Email to glenn dot hagele at usaeyes dot org
http://www.USAEyes.org
http://www.ComplicatedEyes.org
I am not a doctor.
| |
| Ragnar 2005-05-29, 5:54 pm |
| That would explain your preference for PRK. The epithelium certainly
will regenerate, but it's best to keep the original one. The theory
of LASEK is that the epithelium is being preserved. That is not the
case, it sloughs away and is replaced over time resulting in a year of
haze.
I remember way back when PRK was being done. Surgeons were telling
people to WAIT before having refractive surgery because a new surgery
would soon be available that made a LASIK flap.
Any optometrist or ophthalmologist who is competent knows that
removing an epithilieum should only be done as a last resort. Some
reasons for that would be a scratch to the eye.
On Sun, 29 May 2005 16:46:31 GMT, Glenn - USAEyes.org
<glenn.hageleSTOPSPAM@USAEyes.org> wrote:
>Perhaps one of the optometrists here will respond, but my
>understanding is that if properly removed, the epithelium (even if
>distressed) will do fine.
>
>Glenn Hagele
>Executive Director
>USAEyes.org
>
>"Consider and Choose With Confidence"
>
>Email to glenn dot hagele at usaeyes dot org
>
>http://www.USAEyes.org
>http://www.ComplicatedEyes.org
>
>I am not a doctor.
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